LGBTIQ people ignored in the census again

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s population has reached 29,1921480, with a population growth rate of 0.93 percent, as per the preliminary report released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday. Of which, the number of women is 6,09,858 more than the number of men.

According to the data of 2068 BS, the population growth rate of Nepal was 1.35 percent.

Making public the preliminary data of the national census conducted last year in November, the Central Bureau of Statistics said that Nepal’s population grew by 0.93 percent annually.

It indicates that Nepal has been moving up in the list of developing countries. The population density is 198 people per square kilometre. A decade ago, the population density in Nepal was 181 people per square kilometre.

According to the data published on Wednesday, the number of Nepalis living abroad is 21,69,478 among them 81.28% are men.

The national statistical agency said that Nepal’s total population is 2,91,92,480. Of them, 51.04 percent or 14,901,169 are females and 48.96 percent or 14,291,311 are males. According to the data, the total population of men and women together makes up 100 percent of the total population of Nepal. Therefore, preliminary data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics shows that the LGBTIQ people do not exist in Nepal.

We have been seeing third genders in various cities of Nepal but the statistical agency has not included them in the statistics. This means that the government data seems to confirm that there are no LGBTIQ people in the country. In other words, the government has said that even if there are, they are not counted as human. Their existence is being ignored. The chief enumerators went from house to house and collected the details of each family, although the main questionnaire contained only two answers in the gender details section – male and female, with no alternative to the third gender. The third gender, which is an important part of the listing, has been ignored.

The Constitution of Nepal also says that as being citizens of this country, we all have the rights to enjoy and claim all the fundamental and human rights mentioned on it. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments provide for non-discrimination on the basis of race and origin.

Not only European countries, but other countries have also made important arrangements to protect the rights of persons related to sexual orientation and gender identity. South Africa is the last country to have a constitutional system and its constitution states that there will be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Similarly, the constitution of Fiji has assimilated this. Likewise, the United States, Canada, and the European Court of Human Rights have spoken out about this. There are many such groups. There is a separate group in India known as Hinjada and there is a continuous discussion to mention this in the passport and citizenship and also in the population.

There is no doubt that all Nepalis have equal status in Nepal’s constitutional system and the rights it grants. It is the responsibility of the nation to ensure equal rights for all. The nation must count the LGBTIQ community and make public the exact data of Nepal’s population.